Automobile tag-holder.



' WITNESSES W. B. WEST.

AUTOMOBILE TAG HOLDER.

APPLIUATIOK FILED ARE. 5, 1911.

1,016,723, Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

BY v IMQ,

ATTORNEYS c LUMBIA PLANDGRARH 0., WASHINGTON, D. c.

WILLIAM 13. WEST, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMOBILE TAG-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

Application filed April 5, 1911. Serial No. 619,066.

It further consists in providing means' whereby the holder may beconnected with and removed from the automobile or vehicle.

It further consists of other novel features of construction, all as willbe hereinafter fully set forth.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation, with a portion broken away, of asupport or holder for an automobile or other vehicle license tag ornumber plate showing a license tag or plate in position. Fig. 2represents an end elevation thereof. Fig. 3 represents a sectional viewon line azw. Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 represent an end-elevation and a sideelevation respectively of the lower portion of the standard. Fig. 6represents a side elevation, on a smaller scale, of the frame providedwith a stiffening rib. Fig. 7 represents a sectional view on line y-y,Fig. 6.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in thefigures.

Referring to the drawings: In the sup ports or holders for license tagor number plates for automobiles and other vehicles now in use, it isdiflicult to insert and remove the tags from the support and to pro videmeans whereby the holder is adapted for license tags or plates ofdifferent sizes. My invention is designed to overcome these defects andin the drawings I have shown a form which will operate successfully inpractice, but it will be evident that the arrangements of the parts maybe varied, other instrumentalities may be employed and changes may bemade in the construction, which will come within the scope of myinvention, and I do not therefore desire to be limited in every instanceto the exact form herein shown and described but desire to make suchchanges as may be necessary within the scope of the appended claim.

1 designates the support for the license tag or number plate whichconsists of a frame formed of a channeled standard 2, which ispreferably provided with an offset '3' at a suitable point, and has thechanneled arm member 4, projecting at an angle from adjacentthe upperportion of said standard, a suitable plate or corner piece 5 serving tostiffen the parts and provide a recess of considerable extent for thereception of one corner of the tag. It will be understood that thechannel 2 may be of any suitable width and depth in order that the sideedges or flanges form a channel of suitable extent to embrace the saidtag.

6 designates a resilient member, shown, in the present instance, as aspring which is suitably connected at one end to the standard 2 and atits opposite or free end is pro vided with a hook 7 or other suitablemeans for engagement with an edge of the tag 10.

8 designates a second resilient means, here shown as a spring, one endof which is connected with the offset member 4 and the opposite or freeend of which is provided with a hook 9 or other suitable means forengagement with the edge of the tag.

10 designates the license tagor number plate provided with the suit-ablenotations and which is adapted, as previously stated, to have a portionthereof seated in the channels of the standard 2 and the offset member4, after which one ofthe springs, say the spring 6 is properly extendedin order to cause the hook 7 to engage with the upright edge of the tag6, holding the latter longitudinally with respect to the support, whilethe other spring is extended to permit the hook 9 to engage with thelower end of the tag 10, holding the same from lateral movement, wherebyit will be seen and noted that the two hooks engaging with the properedges of the tag tend to force the same against the upright 2 and theoifset member 4, in order that the tag will be firmly and positivelyheld in position.

It will be noted that by this means the tag 10 can be quickly insertedand removed from the support and that the hooks 7 and 9 are properlypositioned to engage with a suitable portion of the outer edges in orderto accomplish this result. In this way no adj ustment of any parts isrequired in order to accommodate tags or plates of different sizes. Itwill be understood that the standard or support are channeled for asuitable portion of their extent and that the offset 3 may be employedor not. 7

I preferably desire to connect the support with the frame of theautomobile and for this purpose I have shown an angular or bent member11 which may be channeled or not as desired and which is provided in oneof its arms with a slot 12, in which is seated a bolt 13, having asuitable head at one end and the opposite end of which is adapted to beengaged by a nut 14 whereby it will be seen that the bent member 11 canbe adjusted with respect to the standard 2, since the bolt 18 is seatedin or passes through suitable openings in the said standard. Thedownwardly projecting portion or arm of the member 13 is capable ofbeing suitably adjusted with respect to thestandard 2 in order toprovide sufficient space therebetween to receive'a suitable portion ofthe frame 15,0f the automobile or other vehicle.

At a suitable point in standard 2, as shown in Fig. 1, I preferablydiscontinue the side flanges, flattening out the same as at 2*, and Iprovide a vertically extending slot 16 therein and at a correspondingpoint in the bent member 11 I provide a similar vertically extendingslot 17, these slots being adapted to receive a bolt 18 which passestherethrough, and on one end of which is provided with a nut 19 in orderthat after the portion of the frame 15 is seated between the standard 2and the downwardly extending portion of the bent member 11, the nut 19can be tightened on the bolt 18 firmly gripping a portion of the frame15 therebetween in order to look the support rigidly in position.

I preferably desire to serrate the standard 2 at 20, adjacent the slot16, to engage the inner face of the head on the bolt 18 and to serratethe downwardly projecting portions 1 adjacent to slot 17 whichserrations are adapted to be engaged by a serrated face on a washer 22in order to prevent slipping of the parts.

In the construction shown in Fig. 1 I have shown a support similar tothat already described, excepting that I provide the flanges of thechanneled portion with a rib or bead 23 which preferably extends in thestandard or offset member 4, in order to strengthen the same and providesufiicient rigidity to the support.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

A support for automobile number plates comprising a channeled standard,an arm of channel section carried thereby, a plurality of resilientmeans one of which is connected with the standard and the other with thearm and both adapted to engage a number plate and hold said plate insaid channel members, and means to secure said support to an automobileframe.

WILLIAM B. WEST.

Witnesses E. V. MOWREY, CHAS. L. GUss.

'Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patent Washington, D. G.

